Frankie.. like Frankenstein, and something we’d never seen before

FRANKIE.. LIKE FRANKENSTEIN

Do you ever dream?

What are your most precious dreams? A new car? A bigger house? Winning the lottery? Better health? Happiness?

What if your biggest dream was simply to be able to walk..?

We gave Frankie this name because when we first saw her — we confess — we thought of Frankenstein. Please watch this short video paying extra attention to the kitten’s hind legs to understand what we mean.

Yes, you eyes are not lying, there is something not quite right about the way Frankie has been ‘assembled’.

Because she is walking on her knees..

IS THERE HOPE?

We entrusted the little cat to the care of a vet team we’ve successfully been working with for years.

According to the specialists there is hope for Frankie, yes.

Frankie has a congenital neuro-muscular problem, causing hyperextension of the joints and pulling her legs around in such a crazy way that she is stepping on her knees. In doing that she is rubbing the skin raw, and — unlike paraplegic animals who don’t control or sense their hind body — Frankie is feeling every second of the pain caused by the abrasions.

A series of surgeries can restore the proper function of the legs, starting with an operation to release the muscles and install external positional fixation. Next after a period of observation would be arhtrodesis of the wrists, just like the procedure that saved Pearly’s leg, which will permanently secure the joints at the correct angle — and with a lot of professional skill, plenty of TLC and a small amount of luck — Frankie will walk.

Frankie has a future if we can secure the funds for the series of surgeries and rehabilitation her legs need.

THE DECISION

The decision, as always, is yours. And ours of course but we’ve already taken ours.

We ask you to please look into these eyes, full of everything cat and running and jumping and climbing and chasing and all the bright tomorrows, and tell us — could we have looked the other way?

Could you?

We don’t know if animals dream.

We are certain, however, that little kittens must be able to walk. And run, and jump, and chase.. Please help that simple dream come true for Frankie.

Donate with debit/credit card or Paypal, USD:Donate with debit/credit card or Paypal, EUR:

(You can donate in any other currency and it will be automatically exchanged.)

UPDATE November 13, 2017

For the last few weeks we’ve been dealing with both emergencies and planned events, such as having to unexpectedly remove the implants from Jet’s legs, the three operations kitty Galya ended up needing out of the blue, and baby Lorraine’s two scheduled eye reconstruction surgeries.

All of the above conspired to hinder us — both financially and logistically — in providing the help we had promised Frankie.

In the meantime Frankie has been waiting patiently in her foster home, but the foster parents are now reporting some worrying observations. There seems to be a problem developing with kitty’s front right leg. This could be due to the fact that her front legs are supporting — and possibly being overloaded by — her weight, which her hind legs are not managing to carry. We don’t know.

Tomorrow Frankie has an appointment with the surgical orthopedic vet team and we have promised her that this will be her week.

UPDATE November 16, 2017

Our baby has now had her appointment with the vet team and our worry was confirmed. Indeed the kitten’s front legs are being heavily overloaded because of the hind legs not working. Frankie is in pain when walking so in addition she has started to avoid it, which in turn leads to joint stiffness and to sum it all up she is one miserable little cat.

Frankie’s first operation is booked for next week. Stay with her through this ordeal, she will need you.

Witness our baby favoring her front right leg and literally crying from discomfort in the video below. She has now been prescribed pain control medication.

We have secured the minimum required funds to start the series of surgeries, but still need help if we are to cover the cost of the first one in full, and definitely in order to continue with the next. So if you meant to help but have not yet gotten around to it, please do so now because it matters.

UPDATE November 30, 2017

Frankie’s fist surgery has been a success!

The initial step in fixing the kitten’s back-to-front legs has been successful — the operation has released the muscles holding the joints in an unnatural position, and has installed external fixation devices to realign the legs.

Frankie is quite shaken but is recovering well. We keep telling her we love her so much and we will not abandon her until she can run like the wind.

She has been released from the clinic and the first photos we received from her foster parents touched us deeply. Having spent her entire innocent life in pain and discomfort, dragging her uncooperative wrong legs behind, little baby Frankie can now stand up on her own!

And this is only the beginning.

Thank you for making Frankie’s FIRST STEP possible! Please stay with her for the next.

UPDATE January 16, 2018

After losing Peanut we lost our way for a while, our hope faltered, our strength diminished..

Then during the last few days a furkid we rescued months ago, rescued us in turn, reminding us of the reasons we were here, and what our being here meant to all the souls we did succeed in helping.

We wanted to share this incredible, encouraging, uplifting video of Frankie’s incredible transformation with you — you who fight shoulder to shoulder with us, you who laugh and cry with us, and you who over and over give us the strength to go on.

Click the video below to see what ours and your being here means for Frankie today.

Not that long ago Frankie’s congenital neuro-muscular problem, which had caused hyper-extension of the joints and pulled her legs around so that she was dragging them while stepping on her knees, was a death sentence for the little stray as she could not have survived on the streets. Then in November the first of a series of surgeries released the twisted muscles and installed the external positional fixation, which you have just seen in the video supporting Frankie’s hind legs and allowing her to be a happy kitten for the first time in her life.

This coming Thursday the senior orthopedic surgeon of our clinic will proceed with the next in the series of operations that will fix Frankie’s wrong legs. The surgeon will remove the external fixation devices and will perform arthrodesis to provide further stabilization.

Stay with us for updates and thank you for being here.

If you meant to donate towards Frankie’s treatment fund but have not gotten around to it yet, please do so now so we can continue to provide the medical care she requires.

Donate with debit/credit card or Paypal, USD:Donate with debit/credit card or Paypal, EUR:

(You can donate in any other currency and it will be automatically exchanged.)

Become a sustaining member

Frankie will need a great home — message our Facebook page or email adoptions@myletsadopt.com if you can provide it! She is in Bulgaria but transport to almost anywhere in the world can be arranged if the right home is found. Share the story, comment and stay with us for updates on Facebook: Let´s Adopt! Global.

* Let’s Adopt! Global is a 501c3 charity and your donation is tax deductible. All funds will go towards the animal’s care. Any remaining funds will go to support our other rescues and mission.